Page 70 - MASTER COPY LEADERS BOOK 9editedJKK (24)_Neat
P. 70
Leaders in Legal Business

York office.20 As this generation of lawyers is more technologically savvy than any of its predecessors, it becomes
apparent why simply creating access to both openings and candidates is enticing. However, simply sending in a
resume to an online database will not get a candidate in the door.

“Unfortunately, the process of lateral movement is not that simple,” said Fivel and Bhatt, as there are
numerous additional factors to consider, including the unknowns that only a trusted advisor can identify and
address for all parties involved.”21 Posting jobs online is passive and will not yield the same results as a good
recruiter, one who is familiar with the firm’s needs regarding a new candidate. For instance, the ideal candidate
might not even be actively searching for a new job. A recruiter, on the other hand, knows who is working where
and can get ahead of the game by actively finding these lawyers. “The waiting game isn’t aggressive enough
because targeting only those active job seekers can delay finding the perfect fit, costing money in missed business
opportunities for the firm.”22

Technology can be a useful tool for an experienced legal recruiter, but in the same way that it cannot
replace high-level professionals who are lawyers, it cannot (at least for the foreseeable future) replace legal
recruiting and staffing professionals.
Conclusion: Legal Recruiting and Staffing Are More Significant Than Ever

Keeping the Keepers III: Mobility & Management of Associate Talent, a survey taken during the fall of
2012, found that nearly half of 85 law firm administrators who responded reported an increase in alternative career
path/non-partner track lawyer recruitment and temporary lawyer recruitment over the past 24 months.23
Alternative business solutions have forced the legal industry to take a hard look at how it provides high-quality,
cost-effective, efficient legal services. Law firms are embracing the non-partner track and other staffing
alternatives, and legal recruiters and staffing firms are specializing in order to provide those options as well.

Legal roles in firms and corporate legal departments have always been competitive. However, increased
supply and demand and the global connectivity provided by technology make it essential for companies and law
firms alike to work with legal recruiting and staffing experts to navigate the continually changing legal landscape.

20 Michelle Fivel & Ru Bhatt, Don't Click Through Your Career, IN BRIEF: A LEGAL CAREER BLOG (October 2, 2014, 03:28:00 p.m.),
http://blog.mlaglobal.com/do-not-click-through-your-career.
21 Id.
22 Id.
23 Supra note 4.

63
   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75